After a long road, evening was falling, and we finally reached a place that looked like an open space surrounded by trees on all sides. There was only one exit, which was clear of trees. and was a little slope .We set up our tents in an area within its borders, and the army sat down to rest.
While I was sitting in a tent, that man who had touched my shoulder in the palace and whose name I still don't know came to me. He entered the tent and bowed. Before he could speak, I rushed and said, "Remind me of your name,soldier." He looked at me with surprise and said, "Kim, my Lord." I nodded for him to sit in front of me. Then I poured him a drink and gave it to him, but he refused because ordinary people should not drink in front of the master. I was pleased, so he took a small sip and then pulled a chart from his pocket.
He began explaining the battle plan, which was based on attack and retreat. We strike, then hide, and finally ambush to get out with the least damage because the enemy army is very large compared to our current army, so it is impossible for us to win in direct combat. Therefore, we will divide the army into several sections. The section that will be the bait will consist of a handful of ordinary people. When the enemy army enters the arena and starts fighting this group, we will launch small attacks on the sides and back. We will attack from the sides with all our power, progressing from behind the trees. We will surround them, and then our elite forces, hidden in the open place, will enter the middle to wipe them out completely.
In the morning the army got ready, and each division went to its place. We waited for the enemy to come. After several hours of waiting, the enemy came as expected and swallowed the bait. A fierce battle took place between the enemy's forward forces and the division playing the role of bait. The divisions stationed behind the trees seized every opportunity to launch their sneak attacks without attracting attention. After several hours, the enemy's forward forces had destroyed the bait. At that moment, we surprised them from among the trees and surrounded them. The battle was very bloody. I was hiding among the corpses, the rubble, and the trees. I did not fight because I didn't even know how to hold a sword; I only observed, analyzing which way the balance was tilting.
While I was hiding behind a tree and the battle raged, swords and shields clashing, blood splattering everywhere, the sounds of horses could be heard from miles away. This was the decisive moment. Then the forces hidden at the entrance attacked the enemy, who had been exhausted by our ambushes. The scales began to tip in our favor.
Suddenly Kim rode up, panic evident on his blood‑stained face. He caught his breath and said, "My lord, we were deceived. It is not only the enemy army, another army is coming!"
I looked at him. Although I did not know if my decision was right, I told him, "We will win this battle, then we will offer a settlement,This is the best plan in my opinion." He nodded and said, "Okay, my Lord,You know better than anyone here." A man tried to stab me from behind, but Kim stopped him and killed him the blink of an eye, by cutting off his head.
Hoofbeats thundered. A second enemy army entered. Leading them was my mother, looking no older than thirty. Shock froze me. We had been the victors. I approached her, but knights surrounded me, blades at my neck. My mother whispered, "Do you want to die?"
"Mom, what are you doing here? Did you come to this place the way I did?" I asked.
She looked at me with surprise, then laughed. "Mom? Are you serious? I am your mother," she said. She shouted to the remaining army to stop fighting. "I want the king; that is all I want. If I take him, I won't kill anyone else," she announced. The sounds of horses and clashing steel still echoed.
I looked at her and asked, "Me? Why?"
"Because you killed one of my people," she said, glancing back.
"I arrived only yesterday. I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, keeping a serious face.
"What are you saying?" she asked, looking confused.
I was scared at that moment; I didn't know anything about this, but I needed to survive, so the only thing that came to my mind was offering a reconciliation. I thought carefully before I spoke, and after a few moments of silence I said, "I will give you any piece of land you want, and the reconciliation will be on your terms."
She smiled and said, "Now you are thinking well." After that, she ordered her army to withdraw a little, then commanded the group that had swords at my neck to step back. Finally, she told me to follow her to her camp to sign the truce and negotiate the terms.
I had no choice; I did as she told me. I followed her, and we agreed on several conditions: paying taxes every month instead of annually, canceling the duty on their boats passing our coasts, and granting them a plot of land in the northeast of the kingdom.
These terms were harsh and would lead to the collapse of the economy, but there was no alternative. After signing everything, I wanted to explain what had happened, yet I feared she might think I was crazy or change her mind and kill me, so I left quietly; I needed proof first.
Then I headed to the battle site, where I found the remaining soldiers fewer than a thousand. We had lost nine thousand soldiers in this battle. The enemy forces also suffered heavy losses, but we had lost more. Bodies lay piled like mountains; blood ran like valleys.
We withdrew and returned to the palace. Most of the soldiers felt humiliated and disgraced. As for me, I was relieved to be alive; I still had another chance to discover what was happening. Sadness and guilt were evident on Kim's face, too. I revised what I said in my motivational speech: sometimes life matters more than dignity.
That evening we reached the palace. Most soldiers were exhausted from the battle, and I was tired, although I hadn't fought. I went first to my sister's bath to take a cold shower, then to my room to rest. Suddenly, I heard knocking on the door, so I asked, "Who was knocking?" A woman replied, "It's me, my lord." Do you want a massage after the harsh battle?".
"No, maybe later I'm not in the mood, "I said it just to escape.
After a period of tossing and turning in bed, Unable to sleep, I went to the library to look for anything that might lead me to an answer. I searched among old books and manuscripts, flipping pages, but most spoke of historical events I didn't recognize. Remembering the map, I retrieved it and set off to find someone who could explain its meaning.
While searching, I met an old man wearing glasses; he had white hair and a beard. I hadn't noticed him before, so I asked whether he knew history, science, and so on. He laughed and said, "Are you looking for me, sir? What do you want to know?"
"Excuse me, who are you?" I asked.
He looked surprised. "I am the scholar Chun, sir."
"Yes, I remember," I lied, not wanting to raise suspicion. I ordered him to follow me to the library. When we entered, I closed the door and showed him the map.
He studied it and said, "This is the map of the world, sir."
I stared. "Are you kidding? There are five continents, not four. This continent is very small. Are we on planet Earth?"
"What do you mean, sir, by five? There are only four. As for this one you say is small, that part is merely the discovered section," he replied.
"Okay," I said, changing the subject. "Is it possible for people to share a collective illusion or dream?" I asked, staring at a book with a strange symbol.
"I do not fully understand, sir, but I don't think so," he answered, glancing at the book as well.
I opened it; the pages were filled with drawings and explanations in an ancient language, but one clear word stood out: "Deroloc."